Fig peach - sweet hybrid

Recently, many amateur gardeners are interested in fig peach, which has a very delicate and pleasant taste, as well as high winter hardiness. The article will introduce you to this fig-like species - what is needed to grow it and which varieties are the most popular.

Description of the hybrid

In fact, this is not a hybrid at all, as many think, and figs have nothing to do with this species. In fact, according to breeders, it is not possible to cross figs with peaches. Fig peach (pictured) is a type of common peach.

It looks like a fig and has a characteristic flattened shape, the fluff on its skin is much shorter than on conventional varieties. An important advantage is that this species has a very small bone, its weight is no more than 4 g. Its fruits are very fragrant and tasty, large (the diameter of the "saucer" reaches 7 cm, and its height is 4 cm), weighing 80-120 g Fig peach differs from the usual color of the pulp - it is mostly white (in some varieties it is yellow). It also has an excellent taste, evenly distributed throughout the fruit, which is not typical of the usual types. They are characterized by a pronounced taste just under the skin itself and the closer to the stone, the more the taste will be lost and "dissolve".

Due to its flattened shape, it is much easier to transport. In general, the fig peach has most of the characteristics that are so lacking in the ordinary look.

Fig peach in European countries is often called "donut" because of the stone - when you remove it, a neat hole remains exactly in the middle of the fruit.

A useful property is that most varieties of this type are late and the fruit ripens in mid-August. Together with a high frost resistance (both of buds and branches), which significantly exceeds the frost resistance of common species, it tolerates spring frosts better and gives large yields in years with difficult winters.

But there is also a minus: the species is very poorly adapted to the fight against gray rot, although it copes well with other diseases.

Growing

Caring for this species is practically no different from the agricultural technology of conventional varieties. When buying a seedling, it is advisable to check a few points:

• check with the seller about adaptation to the climate of the region where the tree will grow;
• the root system should be healthy, and if you pinch off the bark, there should be a green layer under it (brown color is a sign that the seedling is sick and it is not necessary to take it);
• the vaccination site must be clean and even: without sap and sagging;
• the best survival rate was noted in annual seedlings, therefore, the age of the tree should be clarified.

Landing

All peach plants love an abundance of sunlight, so you should plant a seedling on the south side of the garden in a place that is not blown by the winds. Avoid planting in wet or damp areas, as well as in lowlands.

If you plant in a garden where there are mature trees, then try to keep the seedling out of the shade of larger neighbors - in such conditions, the wood of a young plant does not have time to ripen over the summer, which leads to inhibition of the setting of flower buds.

Do not plant a fig peach in a garden area where strawberries, nightshade crops, melons or alfalfa grew before - you need to wait 3-4 years, otherwise there is a high risk of verticillosis in the tree.

It is worth paying attention to the depth of the groundwater - it is desirable that they pass no deeper than 3 meters from the ground.

It is worth noting one interesting pattern - if grapes grow in your region, then peach ones will also feel good here.

Fig peaches can be planted in a permanent place at the beginning of spring, or, if they did not have time to carry out the procedure, favorable conditions for planting are formed at the beginning of autumn.

When planting, the land should be fertilized with mineral and organic fertilizers. Here you need to look at the fertility of the soil and the planting time: if the land is poor in useful minerals, then superphosphate, potassium, ash, manure or humus are added. If black soil - limited to mineral additives and ash. In the fall, fertilizers are not applied at all, but humus is added only to the bottom of the planting pit.

Having planted a seedling, the ground is trampled down and filled with 2-3 buckets of water, and then the soil is mulched with manure to a depth of 10 cm.

Due to the fact that the seedling is subject to a high risk of infection with gray mold, immediately after planting it is treated with anti-pest drugs.

Watering

All peach trees tolerate drought well, but the lack of moisture affects yields. Therefore, if the summer is hot, it is recommended to pour 2-3 buckets of water under the tree every 2-3 weeks from June to August.

Top dressing

Mineral fertilizers are applied to the trunk circle annually during spring digging. Organic matter (manure, humus) is added to the soil around the tree every 2-3 years. It can be replaced by planting green fertilizers in the near-trunk circle - rapeseed, rape or oil radish.

It is also necessary to constantly carry out preventive spraying against pests and spring thinning of the ovaries, since all peach ones have an increased yield, due to which there is a significant load on the tree branches.

It is advisable to do corrective pruning every spring to form the crown of the tree, as well as remove dry or diseased branches, covering the cuts with garden pitch.

Video "Thinning peach ovaries"

This video will tell you how to properly thin out peach varieties.

Varieties

There are several varieties of fig peaches. All of them are united by the appearance of the fruit: flattened, in the form of a plate. There are varieties of "Fig white", "Fig new", "Vladimir", "Sweet Kap", "Nikitsky Plosky", "Saturn", "UFO" (3, 4, 5). Consider a description of the most popular and common ones:

• fig peach variety "Nikitsky flat" (pictured) - the most adapted to our climatic conditions. The crown of the tree is spreading, the tree itself is low. Fruits weighing up to 94-100 g, with sweet light creamy pulp. Bears fruit in mid-August.
• "Vladimir" is a medium-sized variety, ripens in early August. Fruits weighing up to 180 g. Color is white with a light red blush. The pulp is very sweet and creamy. It has a high yield and is less susceptible to diseases than others;
• Sweet Cap. The tree is of medium height. Fruiting towards mid-August. The fruits are claret, up to 140 g. The pulp is white, slightly acidic. Begins to bear fruit for 3-4 years.

Fig peach is perhaps the most adapted variety for cultivation by amateur gardeners due to its winter hardiness, natural immunity from most diseases, and high yield. But, besides this, this type of peach is an additional source of income for owners due to the high market price of the fruit.